'Fly-dumping' leads to citations, aggravation

Two men who are restoring a home in Springfield say that tickets they have received for trash being dumped on the property are unfair.

Chris Wetterich

The ping-pong table, toilet, air conditioner and cabinet in David Howard’s garage are irritating enough to him.

But what really angers him is that the city of Springfield had the gall to ticket him for another item, a mattress. Unlike the other items, which were dumped on Howard’s property just outside his garage, the mattress was dumped in the alley.

“I’d never even heard the term ‘fly-dumping’ until I moved to Springfield,” said Howard, a native of suburban Chicago who co-owns the home he is restoring with his business partner, Robert Brasch.

“They’re the ones who won’t come up with a decent garbage service,” Brasch said. “The city created that problem, and then they’re charging other people for it. People need to start pressuring the city to take care of this garbage problem.”

Howard has been ticketed twice for debris on the property, he said. Sometime in 2001 or 2002, someone dumped an exercise machine there.

“I did not know this even happened until I got a bill for $250,” Howard said.

When the mattress was left in the alley earlier this month, Brasch called the city about it. The city eventually removed it, Howard and Brasch said. But Howard was ticketed again.

“It’s like they’re being vengeful,” Howard said.

Brasch went to see Paula Zink, a city housing inspector with the city. Brasch and Howard said they were concerned that a lien might be placed on their property. He said he used no profanity but said he was puzzled that both a security guard and a Springfield police officer were present during the discussion.

Ernie Slottag, a spokesman for the city, said the security guard and an officer were summoned after Howard “was fairly irate on the phone.” Before Zink called him back, Brasch came to city hall and also was irate, Slottag said.

The officer “came in to help settle him down. That’s standard practice,” Slottag said.

In addition to the fly-dumping, a trash bin used by Brasch, Howard and two people who live in a carriage house behind their house is often filled with other people’s garbage, Howard said.

Slottag emphasized that the “environmental violation ticket” that Howard received was a warning notice that carried no penalty.

“It’s not a fine or anything,” Slottag said. “That’s kind of a gray area.”

A fine or lien would have required a “higher level” of proof that the mattress belonged to Howard, Slottag said.

However, he could not explain why Howard received even a warning if the mattress was left in the alley and not on Howard’s property.

Howard has had run-ins with the city before. He disputes a $250 lien placed on a property he is rehabilitating on North Eighth Street. Slottag said the weeds were too high and the city had to cut them down.

Ward 6 Alderman Mark Mahoney said people should not be ticketed for garbage dumped in an alley off their property. He said anyone who finds dumped trash in an alleyway or on his or her property should report it to the city.

Slottag agreed that people should contact police in the event of fly-dumping on or near their property. Police will look through the items to see if they can identify who dumped them, and the items will be picked up, he said.

Chris Wetterich can be reached at (217) 788-1523 or chris.wetterich@sj-r.com.

Ordinance against fly-dumping in works

The city council last year approved an ordinance that is supposed to combat the fly-dumping problem in Springfield, but the measure is still in its infancy.

Under the ordinance, addresses that do not have trash pickup will be fined $250 a month and a hauler will be assigned to them. The city will pay for pickups if the resident will not, but the fines accumulate during the interim.

The city is still comparing lists from the city’s four garbage haulers to determine which properties do not have trash service, Slottag said.

“Hopefully, within the next month, we should have a good updated feel for how many are homes that should have it but don’t.”

Some residents could be granted exemptions by the city’s public works department.

The most talked-about exemptions are senior citizens who want to share pickups because they produce little trash or a business owner who puts his or her residential garbage in the business’s trash bin. Other exemptions could be granted on a case-by-case basis.